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Isis update
1 Feb 2010 08:00 pmSo, we braved the roads and took Isis to the vet school for her oncology appointment. (40 was clear, but getting there wasn't fun; the parking lot was half clear.) The vet student on rotation came in, talked to us and took some notes, then she went out and came back a little later with the intern.
Who started off by saying, "Yeah, I don't think it's lymphoma."
... That's probably the best thing we could hear.
Apparently, the PARR isn't sensitive for B-cell lymphoma. When it's in T cells, PARR is highly sensitive, but B cells not so much. (It had something to do with the test itself, and how you get cells from the spleen. I'm a pharmacist, not a histologist, Jim.)
Additionally, if she *did* have lymphoma, she would have gotten worse in the month we've been waiting on the test results, not better. And apparently there's usually vomiting even without a massive tumor, and she hasn't been doing that.
So they kept her for the afternoon, to repeat the ultrasound and spleen aspirates (and get repeat bloodwork to see how her liver is doing). I got a text from Ben around 2:30, saying that the ultrasound was IMPROVED from a month ago. Which means it probably isn't cancer, but they want us to come back in 6-8 weeks to repeat u/s and aspirates. Unless she gets worse, of course, in which case we go in RIGHT AWAY.
She also said that, if it *were* lymphoma, it's highly treatable with oral medications, and cats often live "for years" on maintenance therapy. I asked if we should cancel our travel plans, and she said no.
It's an emotional rollercoaster, y'all. If there weren't crappy road conditions for the foreseeable future, I'd have a celebratory party thing. My birthday's too far away...
Who started off by saying, "Yeah, I don't think it's lymphoma."
... That's probably the best thing we could hear.
Apparently, the PARR isn't sensitive for B-cell lymphoma. When it's in T cells, PARR is highly sensitive, but B cells not so much. (It had something to do with the test itself, and how you get cells from the spleen. I'm a pharmacist, not a histologist, Jim.)
Additionally, if she *did* have lymphoma, she would have gotten worse in the month we've been waiting on the test results, not better. And apparently there's usually vomiting even without a massive tumor, and she hasn't been doing that.
So they kept her for the afternoon, to repeat the ultrasound and spleen aspirates (and get repeat bloodwork to see how her liver is doing). I got a text from Ben around 2:30, saying that the ultrasound was IMPROVED from a month ago. Which means it probably isn't cancer, but they want us to come back in 6-8 weeks to repeat u/s and aspirates. Unless she gets worse, of course, in which case we go in RIGHT AWAY.
She also said that, if it *were* lymphoma, it's highly treatable with oral medications, and cats often live "for years" on maintenance therapy. I asked if we should cancel our travel plans, and she said no.
It's an emotional rollercoaster, y'all. If there weren't crappy road conditions for the foreseeable future, I'd have a celebratory party thing. My birthday's too far away...
